The Days Before Christmas

Tomorrow is December 1st, and December 1st marks the beginning of our Days Before Christmas activities. We did one activity a day last year, and it really helped us enjoy the holiday season by focusing on the joy of it rather than the stress of it. We had so much fun.
Here is a list of the Days Before Christmas activities we did last year.

1. Go downtown to see the lights and tree
2. Make snowflakes and decorate with them
3. Make candy cane cookies. Follow-up with FHE on symbolism of the candy cane.
4. Write letter to Santa
5. Watch a Christmas movie
6. Have a hot chocolate party
7. Wrap and give toys to kids that are less fortunate
8. Listen to live Christmas music
9. Read "Room for a Little One"
10. Make marshmallow snowmen
11. Make Christmas cards
12. Make a gift for daddy
13. Make gingerbread houses
14. Go caroling
15. Have or go to a party
16. Make a garland
17. Do some secret service for someone
18. Have an eggnog party
19. Wrap presents
20. Make angel ornaments
21. Turn out the lights party
22. Go ice skating
23. Go see Handel's Messiah
24. Live Nativity
25. Christmas Day
For more details about these activities, go here.

Our list will change a bit this year depending on schedules and availability of activities. Tomorrow we are going to decorate my parents Christmas tree. We are very excited as we have not had our own tree since we've lived in NY. I hope it's a great success to kick off the holiday festivities.

Black Friday sailing

It seems like advertising tis telling us that the only thing we should be doing the day after Thanksgiving is shopping. We decided this is not the case.

Hannah and I accompanied Papa to get Christmas trees. Read about that here.

After another visit to the chiropractor (for Minna), we took a ferry to Whidbey Island, for fun, as you can see by the enthusiasm displayed by the girls below.


Minna at work.


Minna's work.


Phone booths are so rare these days, and this one even had a door.


We ate at this awesome piece-of-junk restaurant.


We had delicious nachos.


We ordered "Happy Fries", sight unseen, for the girls. This is what they delivered.


Then back on the ferry for the quick trip back to the mainland.

Still Thankful

Thanksgiving was two days ago, but I am still grateful. I am grateful for so many things it's overwhelming. Every year, I have an increased awareness of the blessings in my life and I appreciate them more and more. It seems that my blessings increase every year also. Maybe it's just that awareness of all things good in my life, but I continue to count my blessings and they abound.

Reason for the Season- #11

Dan's Birthday!


Dan is now 33. Yes, he is one year younger than I.
It was nice for Dan to be here with a day off and to have babysitters so we could spend the day together. Unfortunately, the first thing we did to celebrate was go to a chiropractor for some acute back pain I've been having. I had complete relief for about 2 hours.
Regardless of my affliction, we went to downtown Seattle to eat. We went to a place called Boom Noodle and had the biggest bowls of soup we have ever seen.

They were delicious, warm and filling. We spent the next hour in a unique, quality toy store called Izilla Toys. They get toys from all over the world and they have toys you don't see at Toys 'R Us. We were having so much fun, we didn't want to leave, but we had to make our movie time.
We went to see Twilight. Let it be known that it was my idea, but Dan was up for it. I will save my review for those of you that want your expectations to remain untainted.
We came back to have a birthday party with the girls and my parents. Hannah had been looking forward to the "party" for some time. She was expecting lots of children to show up, but she was happy with the small turn out that was here. She got to help Dan open presents and eat cupcakes and ice cream, after all.


Dan told me repeatedly what a great day he was having. I hope it was great, Dan.
Happy Birthday!

48˚ Latitude

Here are some ideas of what I've/we've been up to while we've been in Lake Stevens, Washington.




And I must add...
It sure is dark up here.

Pure glamour

Hannah loves to dress up. Hannah loves dresses. Hannah loves dresses that flow down to her toes.

My mom put her old short satin nightgown on Hannah and pinned it fashionably so it fit her perfectly around the shoulders. Hannah came downstairs to show me her sleek little number and she glowed with pride (outfit was complete with Mickey ears).
She looks like some diva from the 1930's. She positively owns that dress. She can't get enough of it.

To my sick little monkey

Dear Jane,

Oh, Jane O.
You haven't been sick like this for a long time. So long, that you don't remember and therefore don't understand what is happening to your poor little body.
It's been hard, and strange, to see you so listless and helpless, but even though you lack all energy, you have been so, so sweet. I come in to check on you and upon my arrival, you always say lightly,
"Hi, mama. H'you?" (how are you)
When I leave again and say that I'll be right back, you say,
"O-tay, mama. Bye, mama."

Of course, it hasn't always been so easy for you to be in good spirits. After "getting sick", you would sometimes cry weakly and say,
"Don't want to sick, mama."
Sometimes you don't let me leave your side, turning down your lips in a whimper. I always stay when you need me.

You have made me laugh in your illness. Once after an episode you said,
"I 'pilled, mama. 'Pilled!" (spilled)
After another, one as a result of Hannah giving you chocolate, you said,
"Chocolate. It's chocolate, mama."
And then, you still try to play. While you laid in bed last night, you walked Lamby across your blanket with a shaky hand and even managed a small,
"Baaa."

You tried so hard to smile during Toy Story, your recent favorite movie, but you did it so genuinely.
You have watched so many other movies in the last two days (too many for any other occasion), some of which you've never seen like,
Babe,
Robin Hood, a classic and favorite of mine,
Aladdin.

Even though seeing you sick breaks my heart, and cleaning up keeps me and grandma busy, I am enjoying some moments. I love cuddling with you and letting you fall asleep in my arms. That hardly ever happens, you know. I love mothering you and nursing you back to health.
You don't normally play the role of "baby", but I don't mind it that you need me and want me as you did when you were younger. In fact, I revel in it, cherish it. I wish that daddy could be here to enjoy it too.
Soon, you will be up and running around grandma and grandpa's house again, getting into everything, climbing up the banister, "playing" the piano. I will be glad for it, because it means you are well. I hope you are well soon, sweetheart. Until you are, I will be right here.

Love,
Mom

Two Things

I don't think I've ever done one of these on this blog, but my mom did it and challenged me, so here goes:

Two Names You go by:
1. Miriam  
2. Minna

Two things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. jeans
2. mascara

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. spend time with my little family
2. take photographs

Two Things You Want Very Badly At the Moment:
1. a good night's sleep
2. my husband

Two pets you HAVE had:
1. a ferret
2. a cat

Two things you did last night:
1. woke up with a sick child
2. read

Two things you ate today:
1. guacamole
2. cereal

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. church, if Jane is well enough
2. knit

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving

Favorite beverages:
1. milk
2. water

Person no longer alive who you'd like to talk to:
1. my Aunt Beth
2. my grandfather


now you know...

Beyond helpful

Dan is my hero.
Tonight, he made possible what often seems like mission impossible. Thank you Dan, for taking us to the airport, making security a piece of cake, chasing Jane through the terminal, getting us three seats together, changing Jane's messy diaper at the last minute, escorting us down the jet bridge and getting us settled in our seats, all without even taking the flight yourself. As Jane says, "daddy's awesome!"

"f-f-f-fweeeezie!"

I am usually all for walking around to run my errands even in less-than-ideal weather, but I was more than happy yesterday when a neighbor/friend found us on the way to joy school to take Hannah. Jane and I turned right back around and made a beeline for our cozy home.
Jane learned the meaning of the word "freezing". The air was biting, bitter, brutal. Jane found a partially eaten muffin on the ground which was rock hard. I'm glad she didn't find it appealing.
Pour Jane's face was frozen stiff when we got in. She looked statuesque with big, unblinking eyes until the blood returned to her face and warmed her little body.
We were spoiled for the rest of the day as Hannah also got a ride home. I love my friends!

Reason for the Season- #10

The incredible, edible pumpkin


I know there are loads of delicious pumpkin recipes out there. Here are just a few you should try, under the assumption that you like pumpkin.

•caramel pecan pumpkin pie
This has Thanksgiving written all over it.

•pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
As posted previously on our blog. You could also try these pumpkin cookies. Thanks for the heads up Merideth.

•pumpkin swirl brownies
(pictured above)

•pumpkin mushroom soup
Just a bit less syrup and it's delicious!

•souffled pumpkin pancake
One I plan to try over Thanksgiving.

•crustless pumpkin pie (below)
Makes you feel just a little less guilty, if you're prone to that kind of thing.

Enjoy your pumpkin this season, in all its many delectable forms.

••••••••

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

1 can pumpkin puree
1 12 oz. can evaporated skim milk, or 1 1/2 c. regular skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. pancake mix
2 T. butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Fat-free Cool Whip for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray 9" pie pan with cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients well and pour into pie pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Our day, numerically speaking

1 bewitched sleeping princess,
2 pretend doggies,
3 forts,
4 owies,
5 broken or deconstructed objects,
6 games of hide-and-go,
7 x 8 = times Jane told Hannah to "Dop it!" (Stop it),
9 things that I didn't get done on my to-do list,
10 pillows it takes to cover two little girls,
11 minutes of twirling, spinning, flipping and shakin' it to "Do I Do" by Stevie Wonder (pant, pant), and

12+ wardrobe changes.

That pretty much sums up our afternoon.



And now, I have about 50 minutes to clean up and get dinner on.

Hannah, on the spot

This photo really has nothing to do with what I am about to write.

•••••••

Hannah participated in her first Primary program today. Technically, she is a month and a half too young to be in Primary, but the Primary presidency asked if she would like to be a Sunbeam a year early because there was only one other child in the class at the time.
That said, she did a great job up on the stand, mostly just at saying her scripture over the mic. When it came time to sing, she stood there shifting her open mouth the way she does when she knows she has attention on her. She would look at me and smile and I would try to encourage her by mouthing the words to the songs. She didn't care. At least she stayed up there and stuck it out like a brave little Sunbeam.

Just for the record, Hannah knew every word to every song the kids sang, and there were many. I have heard her singing them when she's playing on her own, when perhaps she thinks I am not listening. The other day, while she was taking a small trash bag out to our hallway chute, She was BELTING OUT the words to "We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet." She loves the echo. I also have found her in the stairwell, even better acoustics, singing "Home".

Maybe next time when she hears the songs she knows so well, she will have the urge to sing. I'm still proud of my little blue mouthed girl.

Marriage coaching is worth a try

I subscribe to a blog called simplemarriage.net. The author, Corey, has some great marriage advice.

Corey is a marriage counselor and marriage coach. The difference between a counselor and coach, as I understand it, is basically this; people who are trying to save their marriage see a marriage counselor and people who want to take a good marriage and make it even better should see a marriage coach.

One day, Corey was offering free marriage coaching to two couples. So I put my name in, and we won free marriage coaching.

The point of all this is that Minna and I have a great relationship but actually going to a marriage coach was really fun. We had no pressure to "save" our marriage, only make it better. And we have. Just by thinking about making our marriage better, and knowing Corey was going to follow up with us on the goals in our next session we set actually helped. I probably wouldn't have paid for the coaching before but now I see it as something I would do once a year, kind of like a checkup. And I'd recommend it to everyone.

We had three sessions. We spaced them out a few weeks apart, we were really busy, but I liked having a couple weeks to work on our goals before talking about them again with Corey. The whole thing started in September and we had our third session the first week of November. While I would say (and Minna agrees) our "quality of marriage" hasn't instantly improved over the last few weeks, my awareness of our marriage has, and this awareness is the key take-away.

If you love your spouse, if your relationship is fine, and you aren't trying to save your marriage, then you should see a marriage coach. (btw, if you are trying to save your marriage, you might consider a marriage counselor.)

Thanks Corey!

My Lovell-y wife

Just so you know, Minna isn't the only one who posts on this blog. In fact I started this blog just after Hannah was born, and was the main author until Minna contracted blogging fever, to which there is no known cure. So without her permission, and for no occasion at all I wanted to declare here and now why she is so awesome.

She is carrying yet another child
She will always read "one more book" to the girls at bedtime
She adores me
She is patient when I am not
She loves to be beautiful and does it well
She makes me lunch most every day
She takes awesome photos
She makes delicious cookies
She is in love with fall
She is an artist
She teaches our girls right and wrong
She loves to make me fantastic food
She makes our house nice
She smells good
She makes the house smell good
She cleans up smelly diapers
She re-parks the car on Tuesday and Wednesday
She dresses the girls cute
She scratches my back
She wears compression socks
She has lovell-y freckles
She does my laundry
She is easy to talk to
She loves flip-flops
She has lots of personality
She listens to all my ideas with an open mind
She loves Dancing with the Stars
She blogs
She hates wicker furniture (like me)
She loves food
She loves her family
She loves my family
She is grateful
She believes in Jesus Christ
She fulfills her calling at church
She married me in the temple

and on and on...

Big sis

I kept looking at this photo (because I love it) so I thought I might as well post it.

Hannah is looking forward to being a big sister. She often asks about "her baby" in my belly and then pats it and hugs it. Last night, while hugging the baby bump, she said, "I hope the baby likes me."
I thought, "how could it not!"

Jane singing

Hannah and Jane watching a movie tonight

Why I never want a car I care about in NYC

Dings, scratches, broken tail lights, busted side-view mirrors...
We've seen all off that and more on both of the cars we have had in NY. Between the parallel street parking, double parking and cars whizzing down the neighborhood streets at obscene speeds, it's bound to happen. Then there's the blatant carelessness that is so rampant it has become the norm. I constantly see parking cars roughly "tapping" parked cars while they squeeze into the only spot within blocks. It's disturbing which is why I'm afraid to ever own a car in this city that I would give an iota for.

Our first car that we owned here, a beloved Isuzu Trooper, was found one day to have a crushed tail light. I was shocked that someone would do that and not tell us. I have since realized that incidents like this are all too common.


Here is a look at our current car's side-view mirror, no doubt hit by someone that was trying to squeeze by a double-parked car and ours. Our friends were about to borrow our car when we discovered it. They took it regardless and repaired it with sticky velcro. Apparently, it was all they had on hand and so it has remained.


Although the window below fell spontaneously while driving, I wouldn't be surprised if the door hadn't been bumped by another vehicle at some point and we are just now seeing the effects. Or I could surmise that the poorly paved streets which result in excessively bumpy travels eventually jarred the window mechanism loose. Whether these be the case or not, this is the state of our window, which has only been so for two days and hopefully won't be that way come the weekend.

Lovely, isn't it? Those indentations in the plastic to the left are from Jane's little fingers.

To prove my point about the regularity of damage done to the cars of the street, here is a picture of two cars, one parked directly behind me and one parked directly in front of me.


Again, all too common.
I would venture to guess that 85% of the cars parked on our block suffer from such afflictions. Truly, the streets of NYC are an unsafe place for any vehicle, cherished or not.

Reason for the Season- #9

Fall Color



Fall in New York - are you kidding me!?!
It's pretty amazing here right now, and I'm not just talking about the photo of Central Park above.

Today, I drove out to Long Island, and although the parkway was beautiful, it didn't compare to a small one-lane road I happened to drive down. The scene took my breath away as soon as I turned onto it. It was lined and paved with gold, all gold. The trees glowed so bright and warm, and the fallen leaves that blanketed the drive had barely been touched. I wish I had had my camera. The scene was brilliant. It awakened my senses and made me so grateful to live in such a beautiful place at such a time.

Hannah on voting

I said to Hannah,
"Hannah, I need to go vote!"

Hannah said,
"I want to go to the vote store and buy a vote."

Luckily, we live in a place where voting is free.

When I asked Hannah,
"Who should I vote for: Barack Obama or John McCain?

She said,
"Vote for us!"

Hannah thinks "us" are awesome.

We're Moving! (our blog is moving, not us)

We are moving our blog to the blogspot servers so we can have some of the neat functionality that they provide.

You can find it at http://dyeries.blogspot.com

Don't forget to update your bookmarks and blog readers!

We're also going to add a domain name. It will activate in the next day or two http://dyeries.com